Burner, furnace and method of generating a flame

Abstract

A method of generating a flame from combustion of a fuel, includes moving an oxidant feed through an oxidant feed passage; moving a fuel feed through a fuel feed passage surrounding the oxidant feed passage; moving an air feed containing oxidant within an air feed region surrounding the fuel feed passage along the fuel feed passage; creating a gas recirculation region immediately downstream from the air feed and the fuel feed passage; diverting the air feed for proportioning the air feed around the fuel feed passage for controlling flame stabilization in the gas recirculation region; and igniting a resulting gas mixture.

1 . A method of generating a flame from combustion of a fuel for a burner, comprising: 
       moving an oxidant feed through an oxidant feed passage; 
       moving a fuel feed through a fuel feed passage surrounding the oxidant feed passage for providing a fuel feed stream; 
       moving an air feed containing oxidant within an air feed region surrounding the fuel feed passage along the fuel feed passage for providing an air feed stream; 
       converging the air feed stream with the fuel feed stream; 
       creating a gas recirculation region immediately downstream from the converging of the air feed stream and the fuel feed stream; 
       diverting the air feed stream with a movable air flow diverter for proportioning the air feed stream around the fuel feed passage for controlling flame stabilization in the gas recirculation region; and 
       igniting a resulting gas mixture. 
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein moving the fuel feed stream through the fuel feed passage further comprises moving the fuel feed stream through a flame nozzle to create the gas recirculation region immediately downstream of the flame nozzle between the fuel feed passage and the air feed stream. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising drawing fuel and air in the gas recirculation region back toward the burner. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the diverting the air feed stream further comprises allocating a proportion of the air feed stream for surrounding at least one peripheral oxidant feed lance with the proportion. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the oxidant feed comprises an oxidant selected from the group consisting of at least one of air, oxygen-enriched air, non-pure oxygen, and industrially pure oxygen. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel feed stream comprises a gaseous fuel selected from the group consisting of at least one of methane, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, liquefied propane gas, butane, low BTU gases, town gas, producer gas, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel feed stream comprises an atomized liquid fuel selected from the group consisting of at least one of heavy fuel oil, medium fuel oil, light fuel oil, kerosene, diesel, and mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the fuel feed stream comprises a particulate solid fuel selected from the group consisting of at least one of coal, coke, petroleum coke, rubber, woodchips, sawdust, straw, biomass fuels, and mixtures thereof suspended in a carrier gas stream. 
     
     
         9 . The method of  claim 8 , wherein the carrier gas stream is selected from a gaseous substance selected from the group consisting of at least one of air, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and a gaseous fuel; the gaseous fuel selected from the group consisting of at least one of methane, natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, liquefied propane gas, butane, low BTU gases, town gas, producer gas hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and mixtures thereof.